WeHo Below
With great power comes great responsibility. I have to say that I’m actually afraid of where my life is leading me at the moment. Not afraid in a bad way, but actually afraid because this is what I’ve always wanted. I’m playing bass in a band called “Zachary Ray” if you don’t already know. I found him on Craiglist when I decided to switch from the “Jobs” section to the “Musicians” section after a brief moment of clarity. Zach always says to me “Thank God you answered that CL ad!”
Since then things have been moving pretty quickly with the band. We found a drummer (@madamegolong) less than 2 weeks before our string of shows and we rehearsed up and hit the stage. Things couldn’t be going any better for the band. We’ve grown as a unit and are becoming more and more in tune with each other each time we hit the stage. Our first show was at The Rainbow in West Hollywood and since then we’ve played Whiskey a Gogo and The Viper Room among a couple of others.
All this timeline business is not the reason I wanted to write. If you want to follow the band and what we’re doing, just look up Zachary Ray Music (@zacharyraymusic) and please give us your support as we do our best to bring light and creative bliss into your world.
I’m really writing to try and process how overwhelmed, excited and afraid I am about what is happening in my life. It’s crazy how quickly things can change and you can meet people that will propel your life in a different direction. I took a huge risk by moving to LA and I’m finally seeing how my hard work and commitment is paying off. It’s a strange feeling though when you go on stage and really give your all because people feel it and appreciate it. Zachary Ray’s manager, Jennifer (@jlstalent), always jokes with me that when I go on stage and take my shirt off I turn into a different person. But being up there is the one place I feel entirely able to be myself and to share the one thing I feel can provide real value and substance to people’s lives. And holy shit I’m so grateful for the opportunity to be able to do that and for the people who come out and give their time and attention to listening and feeling what it is we’re feeling. Every time I go on stage I try to be more open and giving than the last time.
After the show at The Viper Room last night it was a very new and strange feeling for me. I’m learning about this world of rock n roll and everything that comes along with it. And there are moments that enrich my heart and soul on such a deep level. For example, I had a conversation with Ron Jeremy last night. He’s one of the most famous porn stars and this was the third time I’ve seen him out in West Hollywood. He looks like shit and is probably drunk and drugged up beyond my comprehension. I mean… the things I’ve already seen and the way people act in these environments has been a lot for my cradled, Boca Raton self to process and understand. But nonetheless I have an immense amount of love and compassion for all of these people that I meet. But from the few sentences I could make out (he’s a bit nuts at this point), Ron Jeremy and I had a meaningful conversation and I felt so much love for him. Hollywood is a very insane place and is worlds away from the lifestyle that I’m used to.
But with all of this being said, I love a challenge. And I’m so grateful for this challenge in particular because it is part of me reaching the heights I’ve always imagined were possible. To get to a place where I can have a real impact on the people I’m exposed to. The challenge of staying grounded in who I am and not losing myself in this other world. Thank you to everyone who believes in me and what I’m doing. It feels like my life is taking a turn into the unknown and that is exactly where I want to go.